The news looks good for salons, spa, and massage therapy professionals about client enthusiasm over reopening. A recent survey conducted by consulting firm Buzz Beauté finds that consumers will “bolt” for salon services once the quarantine is lifted. The survey sought to find out the following regarding the first 30 days of lifting the quarantine:
- What consumers will do
- Where they will go
- How they will spend their money
- What are their expectations?
Buzz Beauté found that 83% of those surveyed intended to visit a salon within the first 30 days, which by comparison is “higher than visiting restaurants or bars (60%), going to the gym (44%), entertainment such as movies, concerts (34%), family activities such as museum or activity centers (22%) or going on a vacation (16%). Moreover, while 38% of respondents indicated that the virus had financially impacted them, they still plan to spend money on beauty services.
Here are the services consumers plan to seek during the first 30 days when services consume
- Hair 81%
- Pedicure 53%
- Nails 28%
- Massage 25%
- Brow 25%
- Skincare 19%
- Wax 19%
- Lashes 6%
Finally, when asked if they intended to visit the same salon or a different salon, 97% plan to visit the same salon but noted they expect safety protocols to be put into place. And, 72% could be incentivized to receive services if there was a discount or incentive.
Keeping your business safe
You can get information on how to safely reopen your spa or massage practice from International Spa Association (ISPA) in its ISPA COVID-19 Reopening Toolkit, which we recently wrote about. Among the recommendations for safeguarding your spa, ISPA says:
- Meeting or exceeding all state, local and regulatory guidelines relative to sanitation and hygiene.
- Training employee on sanitation and hygiene protocols
- Washing hands for a minimum of 20 seconds at the start and end of a treatment
- Fully sanitizing all treatment spaces between client treatments.
- Providing guests with private versus communal areas, if they request them
You’ll want to assure your guests with signs posted through your establishment that you are adhering to all these safe practices. You’ll also want signs to remind guests to practice social distancing.
The business will resume, but no question, it will require a lot of planning and preparing to do it for everyone's safety.